


Past and the Present

by Kaetbab



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Found Family, Genderbent Charcters, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of it, M/M, Memories of the Past, Memory Loss, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some characters are de-aged, Time Travel, after TOA, but that'll be addressed later on, fem!Percy - Freeform, ish, love that shit ugh, technically trans!Percy, written before Tower of Nero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23211247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaetbab/pseuds/Kaetbab
Summary: Nico thought everything would be fine after the Giant War.Peace was on the horizon. Evil deities were finally taking a break on assaulting the poor demigods of this generation, right?Unfortunately, wrong.When 3 “new” demigods find themselves at camp, its up to Nico and them to help restore what was lost and set everything on track through a hard and painful trip down memory lane.[ON HIATUS]
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase & Thalia Grace, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson & Thalia Grace, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase (past), Sally & Everyone, Thalia Grace & Nico Di Angelo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1: How to not Start off the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It’s about time I tried to write a full story again. My last one was written in...early 2018...on Wattpad...I was 12. Its a whole yikes but hopefully I’ve gotten better. 
> 
> Unlike my other story ideas, this one did not crash and burn initially. 
> 
> I don’t like this first chapter per se, but it’s really hard trying to convey what I need to when characters aren’t introduced so it should get better with time, promise. 
> 
> Updates will be a bit iffy at first, especially with this whole coronavirus going on, bur hopefully as I get a flow with this whole thing they can become more consistent.

Enigma, a person who is puzzling, mysterious, or difficult to understand. 

Many people could be considered an enigma at Camp Half-Blood in Nico’s opinion. Lou Ellen, Connor Stoll, Leo...those were only a few to name. 

He himself was considered an enigma. Nico had sworn up and down that he would never return to camp, having thought he was a weirdo and a freak kid of Hades that no one liked. Much to everyone’s shock, he did stay after the war and began socializing more, got a boyfriend, made many friends, broke up with said boyfriend but still managed to stay good friends with him. 

Nico thought the gods would finally calm down after the Giant war, but oh no, that was never the case was it?

Apollo.

Apollo was an enigma too.

Apollo became a mortal, got a tiny master, Jason  _ died,  _ Apollo nearly died on multiple occasions (Nico could still feel each attempt fresh even from far away), defeated Meg’s evil stepfather, and defeated Python. All while mortal. Not a single drop of godly blood within him. Nico had been sure to compliment the once-god as many times as possible whenever he saw him.

He was still asleep in the Apollo cabin, as he had been for the past 3 days. Clovis must’ve intervened somewhere, but Nico wouldn't be surprised if this was all from the building exhaustion the past god had gone through.

He hadn’t even chosen to become a god again after everything. Instead, he wanted and was raised to demigod status. Instead of being a half god though, he became around 3/4 of a god. Tri-blood if you will. He was like a hunter of Artemis. Partially immortal unless killed in battle. He still had control over his domains, but not as much. 

Apollo had expressed, after the ceremony, that he was tired of being under Zeus’ thumb for so long and he had taken comfort both camps had to offer. He wanted to see his children more and even though his future children won’t be as powerful, he had decided that it was better in the long run if it meant he could be there for them.

And Nico was happy for him. 

Maybe, just maybe, things would mellow out. Things would be peaceful for them. No threats, no chance of dying from some crazy higher deity who feels the need to take out their anger of the gods out on their children. 

Once again, he was wrong. 

It had been a calm morning. Poseidon visited recently, wanting to instate some type of water competitions for the campers as an opportunity to get them more acquainted with his domain. They were nervous at first, Nico more so than the others, but Poseidon personally ensured him that he wouldn’t purposely send anything to attack the son of Hades. Nico wasn’t sure if that was supposed to imply the God of the Sea had thought of doing so or not, but either way he appreciated the thought.

Poseidon had also told Nico something that concerned him far more.

“di Angelo,” Poseidon had started. Nico raised an eyebrow. Poseidon was by far the nicest of the Big Three. Despite his known rage and anger, he also had the largest and kindest heart. Not once had he tried to kill him, Thalia, or Hazel for entering his domain as compared to Zeus or his own father, Hades. 

“Be warned, something is to happen within the next few days. I am not sure what it is, it’s hidden from my sight unfortunately, but I know it will have to involve you, unfortunate as it is in this time of peace.” Nico had sighed and nodded. 

“Thank you for the warning, Lord Poseidon.” 

Since then, Nico had been planning how to go about the upcoming event by Thalia’s old pine next to the sleeping copper-scaled dragon as a source of warmth. It’s metal body curled semi-protectively around the demigod and despite the ominous warning he had received nearly 4 days ago, he couldn’t help but be relaxed.

It had been cloudy, but Nico didn’t think much of it. That was normal, as long as the rain didn’t enter the camp. 

That was until the first strike of lightning in the woods. 

Peleus had shot up almost immediately, leaving Nico to fall back and grasp at the air in a panic before hitting the ground. Setting aside the obvious chew out for the dragon later, he drew his Stygian Iron blade and stood guard. 

Wind intensified and more lightning struck down, leaving Nico feeling uncomfortable and tingly. Maybe it was a new Zeus kid? Gods know that even in mourning, the gods, like Zeus, would still try and reproduce whenever possible. The slowly filling cabins attested to that. 

The harsh storms didn’t let up, leaves thrashing and branches flinging everywhere. Nico frowned, letting the ever present shadows consume his form and transport him to what was hopefully the center of the conflict. Usually, getting demigods into camp isn’t that hard unless they have an overwhelming demigod scent, such as a Hades or even Demeter kid (like Meg). 

Tossed out of the darkness, a battle raged on between three young demigods, a 12 year old, 8 year old and a 13-ish year old girl. The 12 year old and 8 year old looked badly injured with one sporting a head injury and what seemed to be a broken leg based on her pained limps, and the other swaying slightly, blood rolling down the side of her face, yet they still fought with strength and rigor, as if determined to not let their companions get hurt. 

Speaking of, the last one looked slightly better, with only cuts and bruises and no visible broken bones. However, it was clear she was taking the brunt of the magical attacks used on their enemies monsters as her movements seemed sluggish and delayed.

They were fighting a losing battle, but were unaware of the wild card that was about to burst in. 

Shutting his eyes, Nico focused on the ground below him, all the way down to the Underworld. There was a tug in his gut and with a huff, the sharpened pieces of bone shot through the ground and into the monsters, skewering them and turning them to fine golden dust. 

The 13 year old jumped back in surprise, her distraction leading to a raked claw across her face. Falling back with a yelp, she cradled the wound with one hand and waved her weapon in wide arcs to keep the monsters from surrounding her. The other girls quickly fell back beside her, fussing over the cuts. 

Good, Nico thought, less chances to hurt them on accident. He leapt out of the foliage and brought the blade down on the unfortunate hellhound in front of him. There was a moment of silence before the monsters charged him and he grinned, glad to be back in battle. 

Don’t get him wrong, Nico hated the wars. However, the rush of pure adrenaline that ran through him each time he fought was addictive. Don’t blame him for wanting a small fraction more of it after a long trial of peace. 

Falling into a familiar pattern, Nico let his mind wander. Who were those demigods? At least one had some type of sky affiliation. The lightning was almost a dead giveaway, but the storm? Teo could be Zeus' kids, but something in his foremind told him that wasn’t the case. 

_ “Be prepared.” Poseidon had warned.  _

He nearly dropped his blade in his moment of absentmindedness and almost got a deadly stab to the chest as a result, but a bolt of lightning shot out from behind him and struck the being down. Scolding himself, Nico hurried to kill off the last remaining monsters before turning to the three demigods, dark brown meeting defiant lightning blue eyes.

Wait...

“Help me get them past the border.” She instructed harshly. Nico blinked, nodding and striding over without protest. He picked the kid with a broken leg up in a bridal pose and started on his way up the hill. The semi-conscious demigod whimpered quietly at the shifting movement. The other two followed quietly beside him.

“What’s your name?” Nico asked, looking down at the girl. She had shoulder length black hair, fair skin, freckles on her nose and cheeks, and raggy torn hand me down clothing. She looked familiar,  _ too  _ familiar for Nico’s liking. 

She glared up at him. “Doesn’t matter.” 

He raised an eyebrow in response. “Are you sure? You might end up being here at camp for a while and I would rather know how to address you.” 

She snorted. “Please, if I had a choice I wouldn’t even be here. Dumbass here got herself hurt protecting me, so it was really a last resort,” she sighed as she looked at the girl in Nico’s hands. 

“Alright…since you seem to know a lot, do you have an idea on who your godly parent is?” Nico glanced down at her, and the suppressed but near murderous expression on her face told him that he had asked the wrong question. 

“Oh I know him all right. He’s an absolute asshole,” she hissed and stomped ahead. The other fell in line beside him, clicking her tongue. “Don’t mind her, she just has a bad history with her dad.”

Right, the gods still barely cared for their children, even with Percy’s attempts at their reformation. Not a surprising reaction, Nico concluded. Shaking his head, he looked over the kid he was holding. 

Long, glossy black hair that probably went down to her waist or even lower, tan skin, a similar splash of freckles on her nose, and similar tattered clothes to her companions. Despite the rough condition she was in, Nico knew Will could fix her up almost instantly. She looked similar to her companion ahead, probably siblings if Nico had to guess. 

That still didn’t explain why Nico felt as though he knew them. 

“My mom is Athena, if you wanted to know.” She said at last, her voice quiet. Gods she was the complete opposite of him when he arrived at camp, and that had been nearly 4 years ago.

Time sure flies by when you’re fighting for your life.

“Hey,” She looked up at Nico, grey eyes curious. “Don’t worry, Camp Half-Blood isn’t all that bad. I don’t know what happened to your friend ahead but they take in new campers all the time. You and your friends will fit in just fine,scouts honor.” 

She looked hesitant, but a gleam of hopefulness shone within her eyes. “And how can you be sure?” 

“Because, they accepted me even when I didn’t think they would.”

She smiled, a small one but one full genuine intent and nodded. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.” 

Reaching the top of the hill, Nico found the 3rd staring at the pine tree that stood tall, the Golden Fleece glimmering softly even in the retracting storm. 

Nico approached her carefully, his attempts in vain as she kept eye contact with the tree. 

“Are you ready to cross the border?” He asked carefully. She flinched and turned to Nico, eyes wide but unseeing. 

“This used to be me.” Was all she said. 

Nico nearly dropped the girl in his arms. “There’s no way, no offense but-“ 

  
“No!” And Nico stopped talking, stunned. “You don’t get it! This used to be me but isn’t anymore and I can’t even remember why! I can’t even remember my own name but a goddamn tree?” She looked on the verge of tears, fingers clenching and unclenching into fists in a desperate attempt to soothe her panic.

_ “Something is to happen in the next few days.” _

Was this supposed to be some sort of sick joke?

If so, Nico would like out. Right now, thanks.

“Hey, hey...how about this? We’ll go see Chiron and figure this all out, alright? I...I think there’s something else going on here.” Her eyes narrowed but the near broken expression didn’t fit the suspicion she was trying to convey. With a shaky breath, she nodded. 

“A-alright fine, let’s go.” and she turned and crossed the border. 

Another thing to be added under the ever growing list of enigmas. Nico groaned quietly and followed.


	2. Basically, Remembering Sucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to the Big House they go! Nico can’t seem to figure out how or why the 3 new demigods look familiar but he’s determined to figure it out. Grover tags along and finally, identities are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah it took me nearly a month to get this done but I had lost my writing mojo for a bit. 2nd chapters are honestly harder to write than 1st chapters but ah, I got past it. I still don’t have a clear update schedule but here’s chapter 2!

Grey eyes (rude as it was, Nico had decided to label them by their eye colors until he got their actual names) walked ahead of the trio, head held high as she made her way to the Big House. 

“Are you sure you haven’t been here before?” She turned and looked at him, a frown on her face. 

“I don’t know...it just seems familiar is all.” She turned and kept walking. 

Right. They all seemed to have induced amnesia, and, if Nico’s theory was correct, godly-induced amnesia. Outlandish as it was, it was very plausible.

It wasn’t above the Gods to just pluck an innocent demigod from their home, wipe their memory and send them off to do whatever task they couldn't be bothered to do themselves. It had been done before after all.

The Gods never give demigods a break, do they? Maybe Luke really did have good intentions, as horrible of an outcome it was.

“Nico!” Nico nearly stumbled and glanced back. 

Grover was nearly sprinting towards the group, reed pipes dangling from his neck haphazardly. 

“Something felt off with the empathy link and I thought you mig-...oh uh, ” He slid to a stop and didn't get the chance to catch his breath before he was slammed with hugs by Grey and Blue eyes. 

He laughed shakily. “H-hey guys...” He glanced up at Nico, eyes screaming  _ “Who are they?!”  _ but Nico could only shrug. 

“We’re on our way to see Chiron and visit the infirmary, care to join us?” Grover paused and debated internally before sighing and nodding, bending lower so Grey eyes could climb on his back (wow, Nico really needed to learn their names soon). 

“So, how did you guys end up here?” Grover asked, looking between the 4 of them, even Miss Unconscious. 

Blue eyes spoke up first. “I woke up in Central Park. Don’t know how I got there or anything but monsters caught onto me real quick so I had to run. Halfway there, I found these two, who were trying to fight a manticore...I think?” She glanced to Grey eyes, who nodded. “Yeah, so I helped them take it down and together we made our way here.” 

“By yourselves? Like, no one guided you?” Nico asked, incredulous.She shook her head. “Not even a satyr?” She shook her head again. Grover glanced at him, a frown settled on his face. They seemed to be on the same wavelength. That is, something was definitely up.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” She raised an eyebrow at Nico in silent challenge. Geez.

“No, it’s just that...how did you know where to go? Camp Half-Blood doesn’t just have signs posted around saying ‘Hey! All demigods come to this address!’” 

Blue eyes frowned. “I...don’t know,” Nico was really starting to hate that answer. 

  
“It just felt right, you know?” 

He shrugged half-heartedly. He never really associated that feeling with anything consciously. Maybe his mother’s death...or the feeling of a soul departing a body. He wasn’t sure. Instead, he looked down at the girl in his arms. 

Nico’s guess was that she was around 12 years old, maybe a bit older, but not quite. She was unconscious, but her face was relaxed and snuggled into Nico’s chest like he was an oversized pillow (how cute). It was a stark contrast to the wild determination from facing the monsters for sure. She still looked painfully familiar, but he didn’t dare ask about names yet. Not when they still didn’t trust him.

The other 2 seemed to know Grover well, despite being new and Grover seemingly not knowing them either, so Nico would probably ask him about it after speaking with Chiron, assuming he didn’t learn them through a sudden revelation of information that probably would’ve been helpful mere hours ago. 

They were nearing the Big House when the door swung open, revealing a frantic Rachel Dare and a worried Chiron. 

“Oh Styx,” she mumbled when she spotted them and Nico knew they were in trouble now. 

“Grover, Nico.” Chiron nodded respectfully. “I assume you were on your way here?” 

He and Grover exchanged another look. 

“Yes uh, not only to speak with you though.” Grover explained and Chiron raised an eyebrow. “They’re also hurt. Chased by monsters?” He looked down to Blue eyes and she nodded. 

“I see, I’ll retrieve Will. Rachel, please get some ambrosia for the demigods and get them settled in, I believe we have a lot to talk about.” Chiron sighed and took off towards the Apollo cabin. 

* * *

  
Leaving the unconscious girl in the infirmary with Will tending to her injuries, Nico was dragged into the living room of the Big House, followed by Blue and Grey eyes along with Grover. Chiron came in moments later and retracted his hind legs into his mechanical wheelchair. Blue and Grey eyes were nibbling on some ambrosia quietly. 

“Now please, tell me how you guys got here,“ Chiron said with a small smile. 

“Uh,” Grey eyes started. “I woke up in an alleyway. I had no memories other than my name, age, and parentage.” Nico frowned slightly. He figured she wouldn’t want any pity. He knew he wouldn’t, and judging by the glance she cast at him, she appreciated the gesture. 

“I only had this sword with me which, might I mention, was incredibly hard to hide from the mortals,” she held up the...drakon bone sword Annabeth had. Nico’s frown deepened, but thankfully, Grey eyes didn’t look in his direction. She went on to explain her story, but Nico wasn’t listening.

Something was wrong. Nico felt like he was supposed to know her, he just knew it. Not just with Grey eyes, but the other two as well. The feeling had been blaring in his head ever since Blue eyes’ reveal that she was Thalia’s tree. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but stubbornly refused to reveal itself no matter how hard Nico tried to remember.

Grover seemed to share the same sentiment as his eyes widened and he looked over at Nico. Apparently, he couldn’t figure it out either. At least they were confused together.

There was something else at play here. Apollo had said at one point that sometimes information could be staring you down and/or glaring straight at you but you wouldn’t be able to figure it out because it wasn’t “the time”. It went under the same logic as prophecies. The answer wouldn't be revealed until the prophecy passed so they were left with blind hope that their actions were the right ones. 

It sucked. Big time. 

“Nico?” Chiron was shaking him gently. When did they finish talking?

“Hm?” 

“I was asking for your account of the story. At least, everything you remember happening.” Chiron smiled, patient as ever. How the centaur could do it, even with the most stubborn of half bloods, like Percy or even himself, was beyond Nico. 

“Well, I was planning for the tournaments that were going to happen in a few days by Thalia’s tree. There was a storm overhead and normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but it seemed to be situated directly over the woods on the hill.” Nico took a breath. Chiron nodded encouragingly. “So I decided to check it out and these three were there, fighting off a horde of monsters. I stepped in and took care of the rest and brought them here to you. Grover tagged along on the way here.” His throat hurt, but there was one last thing to share. He needed to talk more, wow.

“I think they’ve been here though. They knew how to get here and she,” he motioned to Grey eyes. “Already knew the way to the Big House without help. Not to mention the storm seemed to be caused by...them…” Nico’s eyes widened and he looked to Blue eyes, looking more closely now. Oh...oh no.

“You  _ did  _ create that storm in the forest right?” Nico asked, eyes narrowed. Blue eyes frowned at the odd question but nodded slowly. And the pieces finally clicked together.

“Oh Styx…Thalia?” She glared at Nico, but he merely raised an eyebrow . Finally, she sighed defeatedly, nodding once more. 

He looked to Gre- no,  _ Annabeth.  _ “Annabeth?” She blinked but nodded.

Realization seemed to ripple through Nico, Grover, and Chiron. “Oh for fu-“

“I believe,” Chiron swiftly interrupted. “This is deeper than we thought,” Chiron let out a  sigh and Nico wanted to scream. Curse out whichever God or Titan or Giant or even  _ Primordial  _ who seemed hell bent on making his life miserable. He cursed them in all the languages he knew and if the Gods were offended, then good. For all the bullshit he had been through, he was sure he deserved at least _this._

And just when Nico thought life could finally be easier for once, he was proven wrong yet again. 

* * *

  
The light hurt her eyes before she even opened them. Not a good sign. 

Squinting her eyes open, she looked around the room. Curse those bright fluorescent lights…

“Ah, don’t strain yourself over there,” a voice called out. Unfamiliar, she thought. She tried to sit up, only to hiss loudly in pain and flop back onto the cheap hospital bed of sorts. Couldn’t they afford better beds or something? 

“I just told you- you know what? Nevermind.” The voice seemed to get closer as they spoke, a hint of irritation in their words. Good.

“I’m going to help you sit up, you good with that?” They asked. She gave a feeble nod in response and two hands settled on her, one on her shoulder and the other on her opposite arm. 

“3...2...1,” they gently pushed her up and she pulled herself the rest of the way up, scooting back slowly so that she was leaning on the wall but not laying down again. 

Something moved into view and she had to blink violently to shake the blurriness out of her eyes. “What..?”

“It’s nectar. It’ll help with your injuries. I would’ve force fed it to you, but you weren’t that badly injured other than your leg so I let you sleep.” He, she now identified, smiled and held the glass of maple liquid out to her. 

Hesitantly, she took the glass in shaky hands and slowly drank the liquid down.  _ Chocolate chip cookies.  _ She couldn’t explain why it tasted as such, but it left a warm feeling coursing through her, all the way down to toes and she felt the painful ache in her leg slowly drain itself out like running water down a stream. 

When she finished, he took the glass from her and set it down on the bedside table before sitting in the chair next to the bed, a radiant smile on his face. “So, care to tell me how you got here?” He seemed nice enough but...

She raised an eyebrow. “Tell me your name first and I’ll consider it. Mom said not to talk to strangers.” 

He didn’t even hesitate. “Will Solace, your resident Apollo healer. Nice to meet you.” 

“Okay...nice to meet you too, Will.” She gave a shaky smile. He didn’t show any signs of being a threat and chances are, she could probably overwhelm him if she attacked frequently enough. Probably. 

“Well, I found myself in an alleyway. Couldn’t remember anything other than my name and my age and some random details. Me and my friend were there together, but we got attacked by a Manticore. However, our last friend helped us kill it and we made our way to Camp Half-Blood.” 

“No satyr guided you here?” Will asked. 

“No, though I guess that does seem weird.” She smiled slightly. 

“It does. Kinda reminds me of a friend who comes around a lot,” Will smiled and she found herself leaning closer, eyes shining in childish curiosity. Maybe it was an Apollo thing.

“Tell me more?” 

He laughed, a bright and sweet sounding laugh. He would’ve been cute, but he seemed way too old for her liking. 

“Sure, his name is Percy. Caused quite a storm when he came to camp. The guy is a legend here, the younger campers always want to hear stories about him and the senior campers all the time.” Will smiled but then squinted a bit at her, as if trying to inspect her closer and she couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably. 

“Say, you’ve got the same color eyes as him. Huh...could you be a daughter of Poseidon?” Will’s smile was gone now, a puzzled expression on his face as if trying to solve a riddle or something. 

“I...I don’t know,” she was frowning as well now. Ever since she had woken up, trying to remember anything gave her a bad headache. 

Before she could voice any of her complaints though, the door slammed wide open. Both she and Will jumped, hands instinctively reaching for some type of weapon. 

“Solace! We’ve got a problem!” A new voice huffed and stomped over to where they were. 

She shrank back into the bed, the frustration quite radiating from the new person in waves. 

“Nico! Calm it, you’re scaring her!” Will smacked Nico on the arm lightly and Nico glared at him, but it wasn’t harsh or anything. A second later, his gaze turned to her and she could’ve sworn he paled considerably. 

“What’s your name?” He demanded. 

Will shot him a glare, but he kept his gaze on her. 

She didn’t know why she answered, but she did. 

“Persi. Persi Jackson.” And Will’s eyes widened. 

“This  _ really  _ isn’t good,” Nico murmured. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah yeah Persi is an overused name but it’s better than trying to figure out something unique yet close to our beloved Percy.


	3. Her Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the plot begins! Nico just got his first demigod dream and though he doesn’t know it’s purpose, he begins to realize that he missed many things before he came to camp and just how bad things were when Thalia’s tree formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I don’t think I’m going to have an update schedule. It stresses me out to set things in stone and would rather just go with the flow. This means updates will mostly be “random”. They shouldn’t take more than a month, but don’t rely on them being one a week or anything. We’ll see how it rolls out.

“The Gods must think this is such a funny joke!” Nico huffed, pacing through the big house living room. Couldn’t they just leave the demigods  _ alone?  _ Nico didn’t even care if he offended them, they had put him through too much to be whining. 

“Nico, we must discuss the next course of action,” Chiron chided. Nico grumbled and plopped in the chair beside Will, glaring at the ground. Annabeth took the moment to speak up. 

“So you’re saying that we knew you?” She looked conflicted. “But something happened and now we don’t.” 

“Yeah, you guys were also a lot older. Thalia was also a hunter.” Will added with a frown. Thalia scowled. 

“Why would I ever join  _ them?  _ They told me that Luke would betray me. Something about ‘that’s how all men are’. Fucking hypocrites.” She glared at the ground. The room was silent. 

“I thought you didn’t remember anything?” Will questioned, eyes wide. 

Thalia looked up, glare shifting to a look of confusion then frustration. “Ugh! I can’t even remember what I said! This is pointless!” 

“You also said something about being a tree, which is true, but technically you shouldn’t have remembered.” Annabeth added. 

“Maybe your memories aren’t gone but just locked away. It’s definitely happened before. From what it looks like, certain events can trigger the memories to return or when you aren’t thinking of them.” Chiron sighed. He could tell the senior demigods were both annoyed and frustrated at the situation they were in. 

“I guess...however, why am I a girl? It doesn’t feel weird or anything, but it also doesn’t feel right.” Persi added, shifting uncomfortably. 

Nico frowned. “That, I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s their way of a funny joke.” He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Will placed a comforting hand on his arm and Nico tensed. He looked at Will and shook his head before he could move his hand away. If anything, he needed the grounding. He and Will ended on good standards for a reason. He couldn’t keep acting uncomfortable when Will was just trying to help. That would send their progress back to awkward confrontations. 

“You should all rest. Persi and Thalia can sleep in the Poseidon cabin for now. Annabeth, I shall re-introduce you to your siblings and explain your predicament if you are okay with that?” Annabeth nodded. “Good, let us take a break for now. We can talk more tomorrow morning.” Chiron stood. 

The rest got up and left the Big House. Will, Thalia, Annabeth, and Persi headed towards the cabins. Persi and Thalia seemed to be arguing about something and Will looked at them with amusement. Nico waved them off and headed back to Thalia’s tree. Sleeping in his own cabin wouldn’t help right now. He loved the cabin, but he still needed fresh air every once in a while. His time in Tartarus and then the Jar screwed up his lungs. Apollo had healed it the best he could, but some effects were irreversible. That’s how Tartarus struck. 

Laying against the tree, Nico couldn’t help but sigh bitterly. Couldn’t the Gods just  _ leave them alone?  _ They had already suffered so much. It was only a matter of time before a prophecy came and their inevitable quest would be official. Plus, demigod dreams. Yay. 

For now though, Nico would sleep. Enjoy all the time he had before their quest began. It was the least he could do. With a shuddering breath, his eyes slipped shut. 

Not even a moment later, his eyes were open. It was different though. Nico felt light and floaty, as he often did in his dreams. Usually, this was the moment of calm before the tormenting nightmares struck. It was shitty, but better than going straight into the nightmare. 

As expected, the space around Nico began to swirl and form an image. He braced himself for the acidic air, only to be met with...Half Blood Hill? 

Frowning, Nico searched around him. Yep, this was Camp Half Blood, but at the same time, it wasn’t. For starters, there were only 12 cabins he could see from afar. And Thalia’s tree wasn’t there. What was going on? 

A tug at his gut made Nico turn and go down the hill. Slow movements and quiet steps accompanied him. Something was about to happen, he knew it. It might be a dream, but he was being shown the dream for a reason.

Just as he reached the base, thunder shook the hill. Unfazed, Nico stopped and waited. Whatever he was waiting for would have to pass through here. It was the quickest way to the top of the hill and to the camp. 

_ “-have to take them for me.” A voice spoke.  _

_ “B-but what about you?” Another whisper-yelled.  _ Grover? 

_ “Don’t worry about me. You guys have to get to the barrier.”  _ That was Thalia. What? 

_ “Thals? Are you sure?”  _ This time, Nico didn’t recognize the person. He shifted to see better. Grover, Thalia, and some other person were huddled together, clearly arguing about what Thalia wanted to do. Behind the stranger, Nico could see the sleeping figure of someone else. They were all clearly a lot younger, meaning Nico was watching a past event or memory. 

_ “For gods- just do it! If you guys get hurt because of me…” She trailed off and silence reigned.  _

_ “Fine.”  _ The stranger spoke after a long moment, voice strained.  _ “Just…be safe. For us?” Thalia seemed to be amused by the idea, but her eyes held a soft fondness in them.  _ Nico had only ever seen that look when she was talking to Jason, and even that was limited. 

_ “Of course Swiper. Since when have I ever done anything troublesome on purpose?” She grinned mischievously.  _ Gods, that was near similar to Percy’s. 

_ “I already told you I hate that nickname! Please let it go,” the stranger cried dramatically. Grover snickered before tensing.  _

_ “C’mon, we need to keep moving. We were already delayed long enough.” The trio shuddered in unison.  _ Nico couldn't help but snort. 

_ The stranger went over to the sleeping figure and shook them gently. They groaned in annoyance and sat up. “What..?”  _

Nico nearly blanched. It was Annabeth. Gods, how far back was he and why was he seeing this? He shifted uncomfortably. Demigod dreams were often important, but this felt like a breach of privacy. 

_ “C’mon Annie, we need to keep going. We don’t want the big bad monsters to get us.” The stranger grinned at Annabeth’s offended expression. _ Nico smiled. It seemed Annabeth hated being talked to like a baby at as young as what? 7? 

_ “I’m not a baby! Don’t talk to me like that you meanie!” She punched his shoulder, no heat behind it. The stranger snickered.  _

_ “Of course Annie. How could I forget?”  _

_ “You didn’t! You’re just being mean to me Luke.”  _

Nico’s jaw practically dropped. How could he forget? Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke had been travelling together to get to Camp Half-Blood. Nico had never heard many stories about Luke as he was still a sore subject for many of the senior campers. Gods, he had died only 2-ish years ago. The camp didn’t even get the chance to mourn before being thrown into war. 

All he knew was that Luke had been the camp traitor and tried to kill the campers multiple times, the most notably being Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia. Nico didn’t know how the guy did it. As much as he claimed to hate the camps and its people, he could never purposely hurt them. 

_Luke_ _helped her up and together the 4 started their trek up the hill. The sky rumbled with thunder and started pouring. Grover started to speed up, glancing around with a frown._

A jolt ran up Nico’s spine. He was quick to follow after the group. If the timeline added up correctly, this should’ve been the day Thalia turned into her pine tree. He shouldn’t have cared. He and Thalia never really spoke after her one quest with the group. She knew how much he despised the hunters, despite the fact that they helped save his ass in the background more times than he could count. They were an overrated girl group hellbent on the thought that women could do no wrong and that every problem stemmed from men. While that was mostly true, they were quick to ignore the fact that women could be just as cruel as men. They also ignored that men could also be abused. It was sickening, but Nico knew better than to question Miss Maidenhood herself. Jackalopes weren’t really his style. 

So he had to watch as they quickly replaced his sister, someone who he had relied on for  _ years,  _ for Thalia. He should’ve hated her for the very decision. But, Nico knew better. If that prophecy had been on her hands, he wouldn’t be standing here today. 

He shook himself out of his thoughts and rushed alongside the group. He could hate the hunters some other time. He couldn’t afford to miss this.

_ “When did they get here?!” Thalia cried out, panicked.  _

_ “Those stupid cyclops! We were delayed too long,” Grover huffed and gripped his hand pipes _ . Nico had never the satyr annoyed or even  _ angry  _ before. Gods, how much did he miss? 

_ “We have to fight! Remember what I told you,” Thalia’s eyes flashed and a bolt of lighting struck the center of the monsters, separate bolts spreading through the center of monsters and frying them on the spot.  _

Nico perched himself on the top of the hill and watched. 

_ The 4 were faring quite well. For a group of partially inexperienced demigods, they were quite good. Annabeth was zipping around and stabbing wherever she could see with her cursed dagger. Her small size and quick wit made it near impossible to grab her easily. Grover would assist by calling on vines to hold some of the monsters and let Luke cut them dead. Thalia was a killing machine, fighting against the stronger monsters herself with her sword and spear. Whenever one would get too close, they were zapped to death.  _

It made Nico wonder how they could’ve lost. Then  _ they  _ came. 

_ A whip lashed forward and wrapped around Thalia’s arm. She cried out and dropped her shield. Alecto cackled and started to yank her forward when a sword slashed through the whip. Luke parried against the fury while Grover quickly healed what he could and gave her ambrosia.  _

_ “You guys have to go…” she huffed.  _

_ “What? Thalia are you insane?!” Luke cut through a hellhound.  _

_ “We already agreed to this! Take Annabeth and go!” She glared at Luke and he faltered before nodding. He turned and scooped Annabeth up, dashing up the hill with Grover in tow.  _

_ “Wh- Luke put me down! We have to help Thalia!” She struggled in his hold, but Luke held on tighter. Grover took Luke’s sword and stabbed a path out for them. _ Nico smiled, both in shock and in awe.  _ Thalia followed behind, but it was clear she was losing distance. Annabeth had begun to cry, struggling all she could as they crossed the barrier.  _

_ Thalia gave a war cry and a large bolt of lighting struck the fury on the right. She wailed and dissipated in golden dust. The remaining two cast her a look of hatred.  _

_ “Your time has come to an end, daughter of Zeus.” Alecto grinned and the two swooped down for a head on assault. Thalia, brave Thalia, raised her shield and speared the left fury in the chest. She growled and racked a claw across Thalia’s face. Thalia suppressed a scream and stabbed wildly in hopes of hitting one of her targets. A pained cry and the sound of dust falling to the ground made her grin thinly.  _

_ Alecto looked near murderous as she lashed her whip out at Thalia’s chest. Tired as she was, already drained from their travel and fight, Thalia was slow to deflect and gasped out in pain as the whip tore at her skin.  _ Nico winced.  _ She stumbled back, fear filling her with every passing second. Alecto took pleasure in it, lashing her whip against Thalia once more for a slow, torturous death.  _ Nico barely registered Annabeth’s pained cries in the background. Luke’s pleads for her to look away.

_ Thalia collapsed to the ground, swaying in her spot. Her weapons were gods know where now and Alecto looked like a proud puppy who just got a treat. Thalia whimpered and shut her eyes in a last ditch effort, a prayer to her father for the safety of her friends. She did not think he would answer.  _

_ “Die honey,” Alecto snarled, cold and remorseless, and lunged forward for the kill. The sky rumbled and lightning struck down on Thalia. Alecto hissed and was pushed back as roots began to circle around the unconscious daughter of Zeus.  _

_ “What is this?!” She growled. The roots circled around Thalia and a wave of energy rippled over the barrier. “Zeus you bastard! This was an eye or an eye! Hades will have her soul one way or another! You merely prolonged the inevitable!” With a yell of anger, Alecto flew off, the monsters retreating with her.  _ Nico didn’t think it could get any worse. But then-

_ “Thalia!” Annabeth screamed, resorted to punching Luke in the face and pushing out of the grip, sprinting to the now forming tree. “No! Please! Thalia!” She stopped short of the pine, sobs choked back and lips trembling silently as if just registering what had just happened. Campers circled around new pine, weapons in hand but much too late. The silence was deafening. Then, slowly, Annabeth fell to her knees, hugged the tree as though it were her lifeline, and let out a heartbroken wail. It echoed through the camp. No one dared to move closer. Not when it was clear as day what was just lost.  _

Nico watched helplessly as Annabeth sobbed for one of the only friends she had. He watched as a shaky hand covered Grover’s mouth, regret and guilt beginning to swirl deep within him as he mourned for his friend. He watched as Luke moved to be beside her, holding her protectively as she sobbed her heart out. A cry escaped him one or twice, but anger burned bright in his eyes. No one would’ve known why then. But he knew. Nico  _ knew _ . 

That was the very moment pure hatred for the Gods formed in Luke Castellan’s heart and soul. 


	4. A Shift of the Mind isn’t Always Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Nico’s first demigod dream. Instead of going to Chiron, Nico decides to seek someone else. Someone who could be tons more help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *staring at time gap between chapters* ...yikes. To be completely honest, I got extremely sidetracked. Avatar came to Nexflix and...yeah. But I haven’t lost drive for this!! So without further ado, Chapter 4.

Nico was jolted awake by a weight depositing itself right on his chest. No warning either. 

Groaning, he sat up, ready to glare at whoever decided his chest was a good place to sit, only to lock eyes with a teary Annabeth. He froze in his spot, staring at her. 

“S-sorry,” she sniffled. “I didn’t know how to wake you up.” She was trying to wipe her tears away. 

He quickly sat up, making sure Annabeth didn’t topple to the ground as he did. Annabeth crying was a sight Nico had never seen. Not to stay she wasn’t able to cry, but she always put up a strong exterior, a brave face for those who couldn’t be strong for themselves. Ignoring his previous hatred for her, he admired that trait. Seeing as she was only 7 now, especially without the memories that made her so tough, her mental walls were practically nonexistent. She, Nico guessed, would freely dump her emotions out on anyone who would listen. Why she went to him of all people? He didn’t know. 

Frowning, he rubbed her back gently, trying to calm her down. “Hey...what happened?” 

“I had a d-dream about Thalia. It was really scary and it felt so real so I came here to check but only you were here so…” she shrugged helplessly, trying to wipe away her tears. 

Oh. Nico’s frown deepened. So she had the same dream as him apparently. That only solidified the idea that they needed a quest. However, now was not the time for that. “How about this? We can go to the Poseidon Cabin so you can see both Thalia and Persi?” He offered. 

“But what if she isn’t there?” Annabeth practically squeaked, as if the thought was going to stab her. 

“If she isn’t...well, we’ll have to tell Chiron. She would never leave you. Not on purpose.” Annabeth stared at him, grey eyes piercing. Even when she was so young, she was still intimidating. 

Finally, she sighed and nodded.“Okay…” Nico smiled softly. He stood up and allowed Annabeth to have a piggyback ride, even if it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like contact at all but…

This whole problem was making his head hurt. Before all this, Nico would’ve never thought he would have to comfort anyone. Annabeth of all people. Oh gods. What if he had to comfort  _ Thalia?  _ With how things were going, that might actually happen. He nearly shuddered. What if they ask him about Silena? Or even Luke? How could he explain  _ that?  _

Annabeth leaned her head on his shoulder, jolting Nico out of his thoughts. They started down the hill to the cabins. Annabeth would sniffle occasionally and Nico found himself humming an old tune to keep her calm. The walk wasn’t long, especially with how familiar Nico was with it. Annabeth was nearly asleep by the time they reached the Poseidon Cabin. 

Okay...Nico knew Poseidon wouldn’t hurt him on purpose. However, barging into his cabin was a big no-no. Murmuring a silent prayer, Nico slowly tested the door. It slid open, to his surprise, and he walked in quietly. Annabeth looked up, eyes now alert for the two demigoddesses. They were easy enough to spot. One of them must’ve pushed two of the beds together, much to Nico’s amusement. 

Thalia was halfway off her bed and Persi was sleeping soundly in her own. Annabeth whined and Nico let her slip off. She dashed to the beds and climbed on them. It was almost adorable to watch her struggle. She settled herself at the head of the bed. That way she could be between the two without disturbing them. Annabeth smiled gratefully at Nico. He nodded and motioned that he was leaving. She seemed to pout but nodded regardless. 

Nico quickly left the cabin and headed to the Big House. He needed to get answers. If Nico was supposed to help his friends get their memories back through visions and nightmares? He  _ so  _ wanted out. Nico thought he was done with all of this. He didn’t want to whine, but godsdammit he deserved the right to. Maybe...maybe going to the Big House wasn’t the best idea. He wanted to avoid all this mess after all. Hesitantly, Nico turned back to the cabins. If there was anyone who could help with dreams, it was Cabin 15.   
  


* * *

The Hypnos Cabin door slowly creaked open. Clovis groaned in response. 

“What do you want Nico..?” He sounded as though he just woke up. He probably just did.

“I need...help with some dreams I’ve been having.” The words hurt. Nico didn’t want to ask for help with his problems. Call him some angsty emo teen, he wouldn’t deny it. 

“I was wondering when you’d finally show up,” Clovis answered instead, completely ignoring Nico’s statement. “Sit down.” 

There was a circle of pillows in the center of the cabin. In the center was a large jar to collect the drops of Lethe that would drip from the Poplar branch. A row of jars cut through the center to allow more Lethe water to fall in. Nico sits down, his eyelids already heavy. 

The son of Hypnos yawned. “You know the deal. You fall asleep, I invade your dreams and try to decode them, blah blah. Got it?” He didn’t wait for Nico to respond, instead radiating a wave of sleepiness before falling asleep himself, Nico following shortly after. 

_ Thunder cracked through the skies as Camp Half-Blood stood on edge. Something was wrong. They knew it.  _ Nico found himself at the base of the Hill once more, Clovis at his side. 

“This is the past, but something’s different.” Clovis mumbled. Nico nodded. 

“We should head to the bottom. Something’s going to happen down there.” Clovis groaned but held his hand out for Nico to take. Nico grabbed his hand reluctantly and they shadow travelled to the bottom of Half-Blood Hill. 

The shadow travel had been Clovis’ idea. Ever since Nico came to him for sleep help. If he and Clovis needed to get somewhere in their dreamscape, Nico would just shadow travel them. He had been against it at first, but Clovis eventually coaxed him into doing so and even formed a habit out of it. 

_ From afar, a car was swerving on the road. The driver looked frantic, hands gripping the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. In the backseat, two people were arguing with each other. Well, more like innocent bickering. The younger one was asking all types of questions while the older tried to answer them vaguely. This seemed to annoy the younger, but he persisted.  _

“Is this...when Percy came to camp?” Nico mumbled. He couldn’t see who was in the car, but the scene looked very similar to how Percy had described. 

“You said your last dream was a vision?” Clovis asked, yawning. Nico smacked him lightly, forcing his eyes not to drop. 

“Yeah, it was.” 

“Then this one probably is too. Whoever is trying to warn you must be desperate. Good luck with that.” 

“I could punch you, you know that right?” 

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t.” 

Nico didn’t respond and Clovis grinned. 

_ Lightning flashed and the two occupants of the backseat turned around, only to pale in fright and beg the driver to go faster. She grumbled something about already going too fast when a flash of lightning hit the car. It was blasted off the road and the monster rumbled in delight, speeding up.  _

Nico tugged Clovis along, moving to be closer. The wind rippled around them and Nico paused. Judging by Clovis’ tightening grip, he had felt it too. “What happened?” 

Clovis frowned, looking out. “The memory changed. An alternate outcome, if you will. So forget whatever Percy told you would happen, because it doesn’t apply here.” 

“How do you even know all this?” Nico asked. 

“I’ve spent way too much time in people’s dreams. It’s even happened in your dreams, not that you would ever notice,” Clovis shivered, “you pick up things along the way.” 

“Do you ever worry that you might stay asleep forever?” 

“Nope, Dad wouldn’t let that happen to me.” Clovis grinned again and Nico glared. 

“Must be nice.” 

“Oh hush it di Angelo, you see your dad more than any demigod could ever dream of. Positive or negative, you get to see him. Some of us don’t.” 

Nico ignored him. 

_ The occupants of the car groaned and sat up. The driver seemed to be unconscious, while the 2 in the backseat were awake and dizzy.  _

_ “Mom..? Mom!” The younger leapt in front and tried to shake her awake.  _

_ “Percy!” The older huffed. “Try to find an open door. We can get her out from there.” Percy nodded and tried at the front doors hurriedly. The other tried the backdoors. One of the backdoors fell off the hinge and the older fell out with a grunt.  _

_ “Grover!” Percy yelped.  _

_ “I’m coming Perce-“ Grover started but a hand reached down and grabbed the car.  _

Nico paled and looked at Clovis, who looked alarmed. “Dear gods…” the son of Hypnos muttered under his breath. 

_ The monster- the Minotaur -gripped the car and sniffed it over. Grover brayed in a panic and tried to blow something in windpipes. The Minotaur looked down at him in annoyance and threw the car at the satyr, who barely got out of the way. The car hit a tree and Percy fell out, looking way worse for wear. Grover quickly scrambled to the unclaimed son of Poseidon, picking him up and rushing into a deeper section of the trees.  _

_ Grover mumbled something under his breath, letting the words carry over the winds and into the camp. He was thankful that they had set something up between the nature spirits before leaving for his mission. The hard part would be stalling long enough for them to get out to help. Percy groaned in his arms, looking up blearily at Grover.  _

_ “Hey Perce...keep quiet okay?”  _

_ “But…” Percy started, but frowned when Grover glared at him. He let out a shuddering sigh and nodded slowly.  _

Nico ended up shadow travelling Clovis and him closer to where Grover and Percy were after a rather unsuccessful attempt to get Clovis to run. 

“Sally is okay in the timeline...right?” Nico asked, looking over at the smoking car in the distance. This might be an alternate timeline, but Nico didn’t care. If Sally was hurt or even...dead…no, he couldn’t think about it. Clovis squeezed his hand slightly. 

“I’m not sure Nico. I’d assume Hades took her by now. That’s what happened the first time, right?” Nico nodded. “Okay, then chances she’s already in holding. Hopefully your dad is nice enough to fix her up a bit.” 

_ Grover zigzagged through the trees. He wasn’t lost, but this path wasn’t exactly the best. Percy kept trying to get out of his arms too, so that was a double negative.  _

_ “Percy, stay still!” Grover glared. Percy still struggled, eyes darting around with uncertainty. “What? What is it?” Grover stopped, looking around. He knew better than to ignore one’s demigod instincts.  _

_ Then something puffed a cold breath down his back and he froze.  _

_ The Minotaur had found them.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated! 🔮


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